![]() Hundreds of homes and other buildings, including a 16-story hotel, were damaged or destroyed.Įmergency officials ordered evacuations in downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and in other areas of Sevier County near the Great Smoky Mountains. That is nowhere to be when trying to fight a fire,” Miller said. ![]() “There were times last night that we had wind gusts in excess of 87 miles an hour. The latest wildfires grew Monday night when wind high winds blew trees onto power lines, sparking new fires and spreading embers over long distances, officials said. So we may spend a lot of this evening fighting more fires,” Miller said. Sixty mile an hour winds are forecast several hours ahead of more rain. “We’ve got some pretty ominous forecasting for this evening. A smoky haze hung in the air, obscuring picturesque views of mountains in the fall, awash in trees with leaves of red, yellow and gold.įirefighters were still battling hotspots and a few structural fires, and officials were keeping an eye on strong winds forecast for Tuesday night. Photos of the popular tourist area showed scorched cars and buildings, and soot-covered debris littered across roads in the Gatlinburg area. “We pray that we don’t experience any more fatalities but there are still areas that we are trying to get to because of down trees and down power lines.” ![]() “We have not been able to get in all of the areas,” Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. Officials were still conducting search-and-rescue missions. Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters confirmed the deaths but said he didn’t have any additional details. I never want to see something like that again in my life, ever.” “Walking through hell, that’s what it was. Hell opened up,” said Monholland, who was staying Tuesday at Rocky Top Sports World, an 80-acre sports facility that has been turned into a shelter. ![]() Surrounded by flames the whole way, they walked for about 20 minutes to a trolley to evacuate. Monday when she left her workplace with about five other people. Linda Monholland, who was working at Park View Inn in Gatlinburg, said it was about 9 p.m. Forecasters said it would not be enough to end the relentless drought that has spread across the South and set the stage over the past few weeks for wildfires in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. National Guard troops arrived to help overwhelmed firefighters, and Mother Nature provided a little relief as the winds calmed and rain fell in some areas. The fires burned to the doorstep of the Dollywood theme park, destroyed a resort and chased thousands of people from their homes. | Wildfires fueled by high winds killed three people near the Great Smoky Mountains and authorities went door to door Tuesday to check on the well-being of residents and visitors of the popular tourist area. ![]()
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